Things Have Changed
by Sun111shine3
Summary: Naruto brings Sasuke back to Konoha, but they soon find out that their pink haired friend has changed. and not for the better! SasuSaku
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Here's my new story! Im actually really liking this story... so it's probably gonna be updated a lot more often than my other stories! ^.^**

**Summary: Naruto brings Sasuke back, only to find a very different pink haired girl.**

**Rating: T (for now)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Nope. I don't.**

"We'reeeeeeeee almost there!" shouted Naruto.

Naruto Uzumaki was grinning to himself, as he helped his ex-teammate through the trees. Following shortly behind was Sasuke's newer team. Each member had wild, messed up hair, but none of them looked half as bad as Sasuke did, nor did they need any help with moving their drained bodies.

Sasuke was cut up all over his arms, and his shirt had been torn to pieces. He looked exhausted. His face looked drained and his hair was sticking to him, drenched with his sweat. His clothes were all ripped in all places, but Sasuke didn't care. He just wanted to get away from the blond kid as soon as possible, but he knew he wouldn't be able to, any time soon at least.

Sasuke glared at Naruto as Naruto started to speed up. If he had any chakra left, he would have punched Naruto in the face for trying to act cool. Naruto was the only one in the group who didn't look beaten up. He was smiling madly, and didn't even break a sweat, despite the fact that they were traveling at a fast pace. Naruto pulled Sasuke a little closer to him, and started to move even faster.

Naruto had left the village hidden in the leaves a little over a year ago in order to get Sasuke back. Even after all of the pain Sasuke had caused him and his friends, Naruto still felt the need to save him. He never once gave up on Sasuke, and he figured that nobody should. Everyone deserves a second chance.

When Naruto found Sasuke, he and his team were standing around in the middle of a field, each a small distance apart from one another. It was dark out, so it was hard for Naruto to see what was going on. He leapt out of the trees and landed with a 'thud' right in front of the group. He quickly noticed that the people in front of him were all extremely tired. They each had cuts on their faces, and their clothes were ripped. Naruto assumed they all most have been fighting somebody strong, seeing as even Sasuke was looking tired.

Of course the moment Sasuke saw Naruto, he tried to fight him, but seeing as he was almost totally out of chakra, Sasuke couldn't do much damage. Naruto dodged Sasuke's attack, and pulled him into a headlock. Sasuke's team tried to help, but Sasuke told them not to.

Naruto put more force into the headlock, and Sasuke was unable to do anything about it. Eventually Naruto let Sasuke go, and Sasuke landed face first into the ground. Naruto laughed at Sasuke's supposal stupidity, and Sasuke turned onto his back. He was unable to move. All of his chakra had left him, and here he was, doomed to stare at Naruto's grinning face.

Karin moved over to Sasuke's side, and pulled him up into a hug. Suigetsuand Jugo moved closer to the group, but still kept a safe distance from Sasuke. Naruto gave Karin and Sasuke a questionably look, until he noticed the look on Sasuke's face. It was full of distaste, but he wasn't looking at him. Sasuke was staring straight at Karin, whom didn't even notice.

Naruto moved over to the two, pushed Karin away, and helped Sasuke up to his feet. Karin immediately went to argue, but Sasuke shot her a nasty look, so she bit her tongue and looked away.

Naruto started walking away from the group when Sasuke's teammates started calling after them. Naruto told everyone that his goal was to bring Sasuke back toKonoha, and that was it. If they wanted to follow, they could. Nobody would stop them. Sasuke's team looked at one another and each silently agreed to follow Naruto and Sasuke to Konoha.

Naruto leapt into the trees, still holding onto Sasuke, and began rushing back to town. They were close by, but they would have to hurry if they wanted to make it by sunset. That only gave them 18 hours, and ordinarily it would take them well over a day to get there, but Naruto was determined to get there as soon as possible.

From time to time Sasuke would glare at Naruto, whom in return would just shrug it off. Naruto had gotten used to Sasuke's moodiness, and decided it would be better to ignore him for the time being. He had told Sasuke about what Lady Tsunadehad told him, and Sasuke didn't seem to react in a negative way, so Naruto took it as a good sign.

Once Lady Tsunade had found out about Sasuke killing his brother, she demanded to have him returned to the village. She didn't how Sasuke made it back, or if others were with him. She wanted to see him in her office, as soon as possible. She was telling a few Anbu members about it, but she also decided to invite Naruto. She would've had Sakura join them, but she was needed at the hospital.

Out of everyone in the room, only Naruto had known Sasuke. Naruto felt the need to be the one who bring him back. He felt it was his responsibility. He did, after all, fail the last time. He was determined not to fail this time.

Naruto gripped onto Sasuke even harder, and started to move faster. Sasuke winced a bit at Naruto's firm grip. Naruto didn't seem to notice, and if he did, he didn't seem to care. Sasuke looked behind him, and saw his team was still following. He felt ashamed of himself that he, out of everyone, needed help. An Uchiha needed help. That didn't sound right. Sasuke looked back at Naruto and glared at him again.

"Hey look," Naruto said, feeling Sasuke's gaze, "I understand you're not happy about this. But believe me, this is necessary." Naruto looked at Sasuke quickly and smiled. Sasuke glared at him even more, and quickly looked away.

Naruto was semi-right. If Sasuke wanted to be able to move, he did need somebody's help. Too bad it had to be Naruto. Better him than Karin though, right?

Sasuke shifted his weight a little, as he tried to take control. Naruto noticed this, but refused to let Sasuke lead. He didn't want to be out-shined by Sasuke. Especially right now. Naruto had risked his life time and time again in order to get Sasuke to calm down. This time he got lucky, and he wanted to be the hero. The hero of Konoha. But if Sasuke was able to walk into the village on his own, Naruto wouldn't get that much credit.

Naruto's blue eyes scanned the sky, and noticed the sun was starting to go down. That either meant they were close to the village, or they would have to run well into the night. He sighed, and looked ahead of him. He was starting to lose hope in getting there soon, until he saw the familiar path down on the ground. He gripped onto Sasuke, and pulled him down to the ground, with the others closely following suit.

Just a mile or so, and they'd be seeing the entrance to the village. Sasuke glared at Naruto once more, and finally stopped Naruto. Naruto, finally getting annoyed of Sasuke's attitude, stopped walking. Seeing as they were close to the village, Naruto didn't feel the need to rush anymore. He let go of Sasuke, and crossed his arms.

Sasuke glared at Naruto, crossing his arms in return. The others just stared on, giving them weird looks, not really sure what was going on. Naruto was the first one to budge. "Hey! What's your problem? We're almost home!"

"What home?" Sasuke replied back, his words drenched in venom.

Naruto let go of his stance, and stared at Sasuke with disbelief. How could Sasuke say that? He had grown up there. He had friends there. They would always welcome him back with open arms. Right?

"What do you mean?" Naruto said, his voice cracking slightly. His eyebrows were scrunched together, and his blue eyes were full of confusion.

Sasuke merely glared at Naruto. His onyx eyes never showing any emotion. "Are you really this stupid?" Sasuke growled each word out. How was it possible that Naruto expected everyone to welcome him happily?

"_What is Sasuke saying? What's his problem? Why won't he even answer me, dammit! He always insults me or just asks me another question. I don't get him! Maybe everyone would've been better off without him. Believe it!" _Naruto was deep in thought until Sasuke got his attention again.

Sasuke was trying to move away from Naruto, but seeing as he was still tired, it was hard for him to move at all. Naruto moved to his side, and the moment he grabbed onto Sasuke, Sasuke pushed him away. He stopped moving away, and instead stood his ground with an evil look in his eyes. "Naruto... remember everything I have done since I've left. What makes you think they'll be happy to see me?" he growled out.

Naruto stood there, staring at Sasuke. What he said makes sense, but Naruto still didn't want to agree with him. "Of course they'll be happy! You defeated your brother! That helped the village and-"

"I killed him for my own pleasure. It had nothing to do with Konoha**,**" Sasuke stated. He continued to glare at Naruto, never once blinking, never once looking away.

"But... Sasuke, they don't... need to know that! As far as they know, you did a good deed! Sasuke, you're a good person, you just... have some messed up thoughts," Naruto tried defending Sasuke, but to no avail.

"Am I?" Sasuke asked, starting to toy with Naruto. He moved closer to Naruto. "Am I a good person, Naruto? How many times have I tried to kill you?" he started balling up his fists.

"B-but Sasuke.. That doesn't mean anything! Deep down you're still good and-"

"Deep down?" Sasuke grabbed Naruto up by the collar, and pulled him closer. Sasuke glared down at Naruto, and he snarled. Naruto looked shocked at first, before he started to glare back.

Naruto grabbed onto Sasuke's arms, and pushed him away. "If you think I'm going to let you get away again... Think again!" Naruto shouted. Before Sasuke had the chance to retaliate, 5 Naruto's threw him down to the ground. Sasuke looked around, and saw over 20 Narutos surrounding him and his team.

Sasuke closed his eyes in defeat, and one of the many Narutos helped him up. Some of the Narutos poofed away, but many still remained.

"Now... let's go," one of the Narutos said, with his voice filled with rage. 2 Narutos grabbed Sasuke by the arm, and pulled him towards the village. The remaining Narutos watched Sasuke's group slowly walk behind them, making sure they wouldn't run away or try to help Sasuke.

They slowly walked up the path, and all of the Narutos started to smile. They finally arrived home. After over a year, Naruto had finally been successful in bringing Sasuke back. His one task, finally completed.

The Narutos that were walking behind everyone poofed away. The only remaining Narutos were the two that were holding Sasuke. Even though Sasuke could walk on his own, Naruto didn't want to take the chance in letting his friend getting away.

"Hey!" Shikamaru greeted them all. He was leaning lazily up against the wall, just outside of the village hidden in the leaves.

The real Naruto let go of Sasuke and ran up to greet the brown haired fellow. "Hey Shikamaru! Whatcha doin' out here?" Naruto asked, looking around, expecting somebody to come out of nowhere.

"The Hokage sent me to keep an eye out for you. Took you long enough," he said, grinning slightly, but still sounding and looking lazy.

Naruto smiled and scratched the back of his head. "Hey! At least I got him!" he said, happily.

Shikamaru looked past Naruto and saw Sasuke, looking beat up. "Did you two fight or something?" he asked, looking back at Naruto.

"Ehh.. You could say that," he said, eyes twinkling with glee.

"Well.. Come on... the Hokage wants to see all of you in her office," Shikamaru said, putting his hands in his pockets. He turned, and walked into the village.

Naruto waited for the rest to walk up to him, before he smiled at them and followed after Shikamaru.

Shikamaru was lazily standing in the street, waiting for everyone. "Come on. I don't have all day. I actually have things to do," he complained.

"Like what? Staring up at the clouds?" a girl said.

Naruto looked around madly, trying to figure out who it was. He was hoping to see a pink haired girl, only to be disappointed by a blond.

"Sasuke?! Is that... is that really you?!" Ino screamed, running over to his side. She pulled him into a hug, and he tried pushing her away but he didn't have much strength left.

"What. Is. This?!" Karin sneered, her eyes looked like daggers. She clenched her fist, and was about to start throwing punches at Ino, until Ino let go, giggled, and ran over to Shikamaru's side.

"Ha Ha jealous, are we?" Suigetsu said quietly. Karin looked up at him, and punched him in the arm.

"So where the heck is Sakura? She should be here!" Naruto said loudly, trying to get everyone's attention away from Sasuke. Naruto first gave Sasuke a dirty look, whom in return glared back, and then quickly looked at Shikamaru and Ino.

Ino was looking down, not smiling anymore. Shikamaru put a reassuring arm around her shoulder and she looked up at him, trying to smile, but was unable to do so.

"What?!" Naruto snapped, not liking the situation. Why weren't they answering him? And why did Ino have to look so depressed?! It's not like Sakura's dead or something! That would be impossible! Sakura can't die. She just... can't!

"Listen Naruto," Ino said quietly after an awkward pause. Sasuke didn't look interested, but he also didn't try to walk away. Naruto looked at Ino and Shikamaru, trying to understand, but he just couldn't.

"Well?! I'm listening aren't I?!" Naruto shouted, not liking Ino's slow response. Ino gave him a dirty look, stuck her tongue out, and stomped off. Shikamaru shrugged and looked at Naruto, a little annoyed.

"Naruto, things have happened while you've been gone," he said plainly.

"I don't care about things! I just want to know what happened to Sakura! Where is she?" Naruto said, clenching his fists. Why won't they just tell him what's going on?

"Naruto, calm down," Shikamaru said, trying to calm him down, but failing. "Sakura's not the same person you once knew. She's changed.. She's... different," he tried thinking of a better way to explain everything, but couldn't.

"I don't understand!" Naruto shouted, punching the ground. What could have happened? Why would Sakura change? How has she changed?

"Hey Naruto," Choji said, walking up to them, eating chips. "What's with all of the yelling?"

"Choji! What happened to Sakura? How is she different?!" Naruto shouted, jumping onto the front of Choji.

Choji, looking confused, glanced over at Shikamaru who didn't look pleased. Choji sighed, and Naruto jumped down. Naruto tried searching Choji's eyes for an answer, but it was impossible.

"If you want to know about how Sakura's changed... You can just see for yourself," he said, shrugging, eating more chips.

"So that means she's here, right?" Naruto said, calming down. Choji nodded, and Shikamaru sighed.

"Yeah, I just saw a little pink haired girl running down this street. She should be coming past here any moment now," Choji said.

Naruto jumped away from Choji and stood in front of the streets, waiting for any sign of Sakura. Sasuke and his group moved a little, so they too could get a better view. It's not everyday that you're told about your girliest and happiest friend changing. And the fact that nobody would say why she changed or how made everything even more interesting.

**Imma end the chapter here!**

**Bahh first chapters are always the hardest... oh well! Its done and over with!**

**Have no fear! The next chapter will be up right away... seeing as I've already written half of it! Yays! Haha and yes, Sakura will actually be in the next chapter!**

**Oh! And about Madara... nobody knows about him. All everybody knows is Sasuke killed Itachi. Sasuke, of course, knows the truth, but he hasn't told anyone.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I is feeling good today! The puppy didn't wake me up at an ungodly hour and I was actually able to sleep in a lil! YES! Amazing day! So here's an... amazing chapter? Lets hope! ^.^**

**Ohs! In case their ages are needed, imma explain! Naruto left for 2 years, making him 2 years older, right? Then all of the stuff with trying to rescue Sasuke (in my opinion) took a year. Then he leaves again for little over a year. Meaning Naruto is about 16 or 17 now.**

**And one more thing! Thank thank THANK YOU for all of the lovely reviews!! They made me smile! ^^**

**~*~*~*~**

""

What everybody saw wasn't exactly what they were expecting. Running down the street was a man, wearing black baggy pants and a big dark green shirt. He seemed determined to get away from whatever it was that was chasing him. He had dark brown hair, that almost looked black, and it was semi-curly. On his face he bore a scar, which was located on his right cheek.

Naruto looked at everyone and they all seemed to be confused by this oncoming man. He couldn't believe that was Sakura, but hey! If he knew Sakura had changed into _that, _he too would've kept it to himself.

"S-Sakura?" he said quietly, trying to see if anyone would answer him. He looked at Shikamaru who gave him a dirty look and scoffed at him. Naruto raised an eyebrow, not sure why he did that.

Naruto looked back at the running man, and noticed another person was behind him. This male was dressed exactly like the first man, except this one had... pink hair?!

"Sakura?!" Naruto shouted at that man. Choji dropped his bag of chips and gave him a serious, annoyed, and yet funny look. Naruto shifted his weight to his other foot, trying to get away from Choji's gaze. "W-what did I say?" he asked timidly.

"What did you say?! What did you say!!? You think that's Sakura?! Of course not!" Choji shouted, almost amused. He picked his chips back up, gave Naruto a slight glare, and went back to eating.

Naruto stood there like a statue. If that wasn't Sakura, then who was? Of course he thought Sakura changing into a man sounded extremely weird, but who was he to judge? He eventually gained control of his body again and looked back at the men. They were getting closer, but it was still impossible to see the person who was chasing them.

Naruto moved forward, wanting to tackle them and ask them questions, but Shikamaru walked in front of him and stopped his movement. "No Naruto," he said lazily. Shikamaru looked at him, with a bored expression, started to walk behind Naruto, but then stopped. "Naruto, you might want to move out of the way," he said. Naruto turned around and raised an eyebrow. Shikamaru shrugged, and he and Choji walked farther back toward the exit of the village hidden in the leaves.

Naruto turned back around just in time to see one of the men standing right in front of him. The man gave Naruto a confused look. Naruto moved back a couple of feet, and that made the man even more confused. The pank haired man was still running but turned around to see someone almost catching up to him. "Look out!" the pink haired man shouted at his companion. The dark brown haired man turned around, just in time to see a pink haired woman punch him in the head. He went flying way to the left of everyone and landed with a loud 'boom!'.

Naruto went to see the pink haired woman's face, but she was facing the opposite direction. The pink haired man lowered his brows and decided to fight the woman. He knew there was no way he could get past her, but there was a possibility that he could fight her and win. He pulled back his arm, getting ready for a punch, but the woman quickly rushed up to him, pulled back her right arm with ease, and punched him. He, like his companion, went flying to the right this time.

The pink haired woman relaxed her fighting position but still stayed facing the opposite direction. Naruto moved closer to her, looking her up and down. She was wearing a skirt like Sakura used to, except this one was way shorter. It was well above her knees, but she had black leggings underneath. They only covered her upper thigh, revealing her long legs. Sakura's headband was located on her head, but this girl's headband was located on her lower ankle.

The woman lowered her arms and took in a deep breath. Her arms were covered in bandages but she wasn't hurt. She wore black gloves to match her black leggings. Her hair was longer, but not by much. Her dark pink shirt covered half of her back, revealing the back and front of her stomach.

All in all, her outfit was very tight on her, leaving very little to the imagination, but it wasn't nearly as bad as most people's clothes.

With all of this information, including the fact that she punched the men extremely hard, Naruto knew this must be Sakura. As far as he could tell she looked the same. She even fought the same. So how has she changed?

Naruto moved closer to her, his arm extended to reach out and touch her. "Sakura..." he calmly said, trying to get her attention.

"Naruto. That's not a good idea," Shikamaru tried warning him but to no avail. Naruto started to grin slightly as he moved closer to her, but in one quick movement, he was on the ground, outside of Konoha. He started rubbing his stomach, and stood up. He slowly walked back into Konoha and looked at everyone.

Sasuke was the only one who didn't look away from the woman. The red haired girl was smiling madly, and the white haired man was laughing. Naruto gave them a dirty look, feeling embarrassed, and walked up to Shikamaru.

"What was that all about?!" Naruto said, looking at him.

"I warned you," Shikamaru replied, grinning. He motioned Naruto to look back at her, and Naruto listened.

There she was. Her pink hair a little messy from the running and punching. Her leg was being lowered, meaning she punched Naruto hard in the stomach. He hands were fisted, but as she lowered her leg, she moved her arms down and unclenched her fists.

Her green eyes were ever the same except they were missing something. They used to twinkle when she was around the people she loved. They used to be filled with fun, happiness, love, adventure and enjoyment. But these green eyes had nothing like that. They looked empty. It was hard to read her.

Her expression didn't give away much either. She wasn't smiling, but she wasn't angry looking. Her face was totally blank. An emotionless doll. Something about this look was giving Naruto the creeps. He quickly avoided her gaze and looked back at Shikamaru. Shikamaru didn't glance at Naruto, but he knew what Naruto was seeking. He slightly nodded, and Naruto balled his fists.

"Sakura.. What... happened to you?" he said, looking down. His fists were shaking at his sides.

Sakura turned away, not replying. She was looking up and down the street, waiting for something or someone. She didn't even seem to acknowledge the fact that she just kicked one of her best friends. She didn't even care. Naruto looked up, biting down on his lip. He noticed she was getting ready to fight again, and he assumed it was with him. He got into a fighting stance too, but Shikamaru placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder. Choji placed his hand on the other side.

Naruto relaxed and looked at both of them. Choji shrugged and Shikamaru shook his head. Naruto gave him a confused look, but turned his head to face Sakura again. She was balling up her right fist again, and started running away from everyone. She was looking up, but at what, Naruto wasn't sure.

He glanced up and saw a man up in the air. "What?!" Naruto shouted. The man was falling down, so he could only assume that he leapt into the air, trying to avoid Sakura's attack. Naruto quickly looked back at Sakura, who was now running up one of the nearby buildings.

Once she reached the top of the building, she pushed off with her chakra infused feet, and pulled her arm back. She reached the man, who was trying to shield himself. She punched him hard into the stomach and he went crashing down into the ground, causing smoke to cloud around them in an instant. It quickly cleared away, and everyone saw Sakura landed lightly on her feet.

She didn't look at anyone, despite feeling everyone's gaze on her. She looked down at the man who was now unconscious. Her mouth pulled up into a slight grin, but not a full one. She turned on her heel, and started walking away.

Naruto got out of Shikamaru and Choji's grasp, and rushed up to her. Shikamaru knew what was going to happen, and surprisingly he didn't want Naruto to get hurt. Not sure why, but he didn't. He used his Shadow Possession Jutsu on Naruto, and Naruto instantly stopped walking. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Naruto shouted. At first he wasn't sure what was going on. He thought maybe he was asleep, and everything that had happened was just a dream. Then he thought maybe Sakura knocked him out with her kick. Once he looked down though, he noticed a thick shadow was underneath him, stopping his movement.

"I'm stopping you from doing something stupid. Again," Shikamaru said, walking backwards, making Naruto walk backwards, too.

"Come on!" Naruto growled. He was struggling with trying to get away. Of course it didn't work, but Naruto was still determined.

"Hey. Knock it off, Naruto," Shikamaru said, getting fully annoyed of the blond kid. He let go of the Shadow Possession on Naruto, just as Choji wrapped his arms around Naruto. Naruto tried fighting Choji off, but it was impossible.

"Just calm down," Choji growled at Naruto. He didn't like having to keep such a tight hold on the kid, but Naruto just didn't learn from his mistakes, did he?

"Let me go! I want to talk to Sakura!" Naruto shouted, still fighting Choji. If he kept struggling, he might be able to get away. He was determined to talk to Sakura. He didn't want to see her get away, but with each passing second, it was proving to be more difficult for him. He closed his eyes and bit down on his lower lip, trying his best to gather all of his strength in order to get free.

He could feel Choji was starting to lose his grip but the moment Choji should've let go, somebody placed their finger on Naruto's head. He quickly opened up his eyes to see a masked man staring back at him.

"Kakashi-sensei!" he shouted happily, forgetting he was being held against his will.

Kakashi smirked underneath his mask, and pulled his finger back. He put his hand in the air, and calmly replied with a "yo".

Naruto smiled but then when he went to move, he remembered Choji's hold. Kakashi nodded toward Choji, and he let go of Naruto. Naruto, not expecting this, fell to the ground with a light 'thud'. He quickly stood up and started rubbing his butt.

"So, Naruto, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out trying to rescue someone?" Kakashi said calmly, looking at Naruto with intense eyes.

Naruto gave Kakashi a weird look but quickly replaced it with a big smile. "Yeah. And here he is," he said, turning, and pointing back at Sasuke.

Kakashi turned his gaze onto Sasuke. Sasuke stood his ground, showing no emotion. He looked tired, and Kakashi was aware that Sasuke didn't want to be there. The way Sasuke was standing just proved that he hated Konoha. Why though, Kakashi was unsure. He gazed at Sasuke for a moment longer, but quickly returned his gaze back at Naruto. Naruto looked put-off. He didn't like the way Sasuke was just standing there, acting so cool.

"Hey! Why don't you say something?" Naruto glared at Sasuke. Sasuke, on the other hand, wasn't looking at him. He was staring past Naruto, and at Sakura. Naruto didn't like the fact that Sasuke was giving Sakura attention, despite the fact that she was far away from them. Naruto balled up his fist, and ran toward Sasuke. He leapt onto Sasuke, who still refused to look at him.

Just as Naruto was about to punch him, Kakashi pulled his arm back, and pulled him down to the ground. "Calm down, Naruto. You just returned. You have people you should be saying hello to," Kakashi calmly said, moving his gaze from Naruto to Sasuke. Sasuke finally looked away from Sakura, and glared at Naruto with pure distaste. Kakashi sighed, and let go of Naruto.

Naruto stood back up. He glared at Sasuke for a moment, and then looked back at Kakashi. The only thing he could see, other than Kakashi, was a little pink head walking away. "Sakura!" he shouted, remembering why he wanted to get away from everyone.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, and turned around to see her. He looked around, now noticing the people knocked out. He chuckled a bit and started walking away.

"Kakashi-sensei! Where are you going?" Naruto said, staring at Kakashi's back. Naruto ran over to his side, and looked up at him questionably. Kakashi warmly looked down at him and pointed at Sakura. Naruto tilted his head, not really sure why Kakashi was acting a little different.

Kakashi waved goodbye, and a second later he was standing in front of Sakura. Naruto stood there in disbelief. Why was it that Kakashi is allowed to talk to Sakura, but he wasn't? They were still teammates! Team seven still existed, seeing as all of its previous members are now back in the same place. Naruto started running toward them, but again, Shikamaru and Choji got in his way.

"Again?! Why can't I talk to her? Why can't I at least see her?!" he shouted, getting extremely frustrated with the two men. Choji quickly glanced at Shikamaru, who was rubbing the back of his neck.

"Not now, Naruto. You can talk to her later," Shikamaru said, staring at Naruto with a plain look.

"Why not now?" Naruto shouted again, starting to shake. He just couldn't understand this! He told Sakura he would bring Sasuke back for her. He promised her. And he just finally fulfilled the promise. He was so excited. He wanted to tell Sakura so badly. To see the look on her face. To see her smile. Her warm, loving smile. He imagined the day he would tell her. She would smile, start crying probably, and then possibly even kiss him! Maybe not on the lips or anything, but possibly on the cheek. He wanted that to happen so badly. But no. Now he's not even allowed to talk to Sakura. Not talking to her just wasn't right. She was his best friend. Now. And forever. It would be impossible to separate them. Now that Sasuke's back, they would be the unstoppable three! Nothing would be able to break their bond. But the way Sakura is...

It's as if Sakura had become Sasuke! She seems cold now. While fighting she didn't even flinch. She didn't seem to have a single thought. Her main goal was to finish them off, not caring about anybody who could or would possibly get in her way. All that mattered was finishing the mission. But that was also what separated Sakura from Sasuke. Back when they were fighting Zabuza, Sasuke's main goal was to finish the mission, but he still saved his teammates, multiple times.

Now, Naruto wasn't too sure if Sasuke would even think about saving them. But still. This is Sakura! She always tried her best to protect those she loved. But now... this Sakura doesn't even seem capable of loving anyone, or anything! There was something wrong, and Naruto wanted to know what it was. What happened to her.

Naruto stopped shaking, and he looked at Choji and then back at Shikamaru. "What happened to her? What made her become like Sasuke?"

Hearing his name, Sasuke glared back at Naruto. He had been preoccupied with watching his old sensei and his old teammate exchanging words. She never once changed her expression. She plainly told him what happened and they both walked off. Assuming they went to see the Hokage, to tell her what happened, he had finally returned his attention back to the blond kid. The moment he started paying attention, was the moment he heard Naruto talk down about him. How dare he compare him to that pink haired woman. He was nothing like her. He was nothing like anyone. He was an Uchiha. A unique person. Sasuke made note of this moment and vowed that when he was fully healed, he'd kick Naruto's ass for that remark.

"Naruto, I don't think we should be the ones to say..." Choji said quietly, after a long pause. He was avoiding Naruto's gaze, knowing if he they connected eyes, Naruto would start yelling.

"But... somebody needs to tell me! You two aren't letting me near Sakura, so she can't tell me. Kakashi-sensei will probably change the subject! The Hokage will say it's none of my business... well somebody needs to tell me!" Naruto said, staring at Shikamaru this time.

"Naruto.. Just understand one thing. Ok?" Shikamaru said slowly. Choji glanced at him, not knowing what Shikamaru was going to say.

Naruto calmly nodded, and relaxed his composure.

"The only thing I can tell you..." he took a pause, making sure Naruto was paying full attention. "You, your sensei, and Sasuke each have a major thing in common with Sakura," he said, hoping to have finished the conversation.

Naruto shook his head, not understanding still. One thing in common? They're all apart of team seven... but they've had that in common for a while now. They're not the same age. They're not the same height. They don't have the same hair color or eye color... so what could it be?!

Shikamaru could see the confusion on Naruto's face and he sighed. This wasn't going to be easy, was it? Shikamaru opened up his mouth to say something, until he felt the presence of somebody else.

"Let me say it... I was one of the few people who saw her before it happened," a girl said quietly. Ino walked up to the group, with her arms crossed, looking down. Worry was all over her face, but she knew Naruto needed to know some of the story. She quickly looked at Shikamaru and he nodded his head. Ino looked up at Naruto, and finished the conversation with a few small words. "Her parents are dead, too."

* * *

**Time to end another chapter! Yesssss. Poor Sakura. So angry. So alone. Oh wells, it'll be up to her friends to save her from her misery. Lets see if it's possible! After all, look at how Sasuke turned out! Mmhmm! Not too good.**

**Oh! About the Hokage... it's still Tsunade.. She recovered and blah blah blah. So basically, Kakashi isn't Hokage anymore. I have special things planned for him, and if he were to be the Hokage still... it just wouldn't work! He's the only one who would fit the bill.. So yea!**

**Oh oh oh! And I do have a question... Naruto knows Kakashi was a member of Anbu, right? But does he know what Kakashi's mask looks like? I don't remember this too well, so it would be awesome if anyone could tell me!**

**Well.. Its time for me to make lunch! Woo!! Ciao!**


	3. Chapter 3

**And here's another installation to the story! Woo! **

**I'm trying my best to work the story away from Naruto and onto the promising 'couple'. But I felt the need to try to explain things through Naruto's viewpoint, you know? To show how Sakura's new personality is matching Sasuke's.**

**Again, I thank those of you who reviewed! ^^**

**oh! And a big thanks to those who chose to favorite this story already! That totally amazes me! **

**~*~*~*~**

"Her... parents are dead...." Naruto whispered quietly. It had been five minutes since Ino had told him, but he still couldn't believe it. Sakura was supposed to have a happy life with her family. It was Naruto and Sasuke who had to struggle. But... now Sakura was one of them.

Naruto balled up his fists and was determined to make Sakura realize she wasn't alone. After all, Team 7 is more than just a team. They're all family, whether they're willing to admit it or not.

Shikamaru noticed Naruto's change in attitude and decided it was time for them to see the Hokage. They had been in the village for over an hour, and he knew if they didn't see her soon, they'd all be getting yelled at, and nobody needed nor wanted that.

Shikamaru, Choji and Ino turned away from Naruto and walked behind Sasuke and his team. Shikamaru did his Shadow Possession Jutsu on Sasuke and his gang. Karin shrieked and turned her head in every direction. She wasn't quite sure what was going on, but she knew she couldn't move. She should've known it was Shikamaru's jutsu, seeing as he had just used the same jutsu on Naruto not too long ago. The other three looked annoyed, but Sasuke knew that Shikamaru only did what he was told. Sasuke had assumed the Hokage had told them to keep an eye on him when he entered Konoha. Even though they were all aware that Sasuke was low on chakra, they still had to be cautious.

"Come on, Naruto. Let's go see the Hokage," Choji said, finishing his bag of chips. He didn't look too happy. Naruto turned to see them and nodded his head, understanding what they were doing. He waited until they all walked past him. He didn't really want to see the Hokage. He knew she'd yell at him, no matter what he said. He just wanted to see Sakura again. He wanted to tell her everything was going to be ok and that he was there for her. Sadly, he knew that would have to wait.

**~*~*~*~**

Walking through the village seemed to calm Naruto down. He wasn't dreading his meeting with the Hokage as much anymore. He looked at everybody's smiling faces. Everyone was happy. Until they saw Naruto. Some people looked away, whereas others gave him dirty looks, but what can you expect? He was a trouble maker.

But he didn't mind it at all this time. He felt proud of himself. He was finally able to bring Sasuke back, and because of that, he knew he would be able to help Sakura.

Eventually they reached the Hokage's tower and Naruto barged into the room, despite Ino's protests. With the door wide open, he turned to Sasuke, grinned, and tried pulling him forward, forgetting about Shikamaru's jutsu. Naruto fell down and started shouting at Sasuke, thinking he was the reason why he fell. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and glanced down, trying to avoid a conversation. Naruto, who was on the floor still, looked at Sasuke's feet and noticed the dark shadow underneath everyone. He stood back up and started yelling at Shikamaru when the Hokage decided to interrupt.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Tsunade shouted. Naruto quickly shut up and turned around to see her standing up, hands flat on her desk. He saw two ANBU members standing by her desk. He quickly glanced at the one wearing a wolf mask and then at the one wearing a bunny mask. They stood calmly in front of her everyone, not really caring about Naruto or his friends.

Tsunade glared at Naruto but after a short period of time, she took a deep breath and sighed. She looked at the two people standing in front of her desk, and they turned around. "You two, move to the back of the room. I'm not done with you yet," she ordered them.

They nodded and turned on their heels. As they were walking to the back of the room, Naruto and the others were entering. Naruto glared at the two for some reason. He was aware that the wolf-masked ANBU was Kakashi. Naruto was mad at him for not letting him talk to Sakura. He wanted to punch Kakashi very badly but he knew that would be a bad idea. Especially in front of the Hokage. He decided he'd do it later, when Kakashi least expects it.

Kakashi, feeling Naruto's gaze, looked at him, and waved a little. Naruto got mad and glared even harder, but quickly turned his gaze toward the other member. This one didn't even seem to notice anyone else was in the room. Because of the way the ANBU uniform fit, it was painfully obvious that this one was a female. When the two reached the back of the room, they turned around, and both crossed their arms. Naruto stopped walking, and stared at the female. He was unable to see her hair because she wore a cloth to conceal it. He glanced at the mask and tried to remember every detail. It wasn't that hard. The bunny mask had green eyebrows, and green whiskers.

"Ino. Shikamaru. Choji. You three may leave now," Tsunade said. Naruto turned quickly around to see the three ninjas walking past him. Ino put her fingers to her mouth and made the 'shhing' motion. Naruto gave her a weird look, not understanding what that was for.

Naruto waited until he heard the door close, before he decided to look around the room again. It was bright and covered with papers. There were papers on the floor, on the desk, on the chairs, up by the windows. Everywhere. Naruto looked back at the Kakashi and his 'friend'. They were leaning up against the wall, apparently not interested in what was going to happen. He looked back at Tsunade who was glaring at the people to his left. He wasn't surprised to see Sasuke glaring back. He never did like being out-glared.

Naruto looked at the others and none of them seemed to care about this. They must be used to Sasuke's attitude, too. Suigetsu was lazily looking around the room, his eyes showing his boredom. Jugo, on the other hand, seemed greatly annoyed. He had his arms crossed and he was giving everyone dirty looks for no apparent reason. Naruto felt uneasy by this guy's presence, so he quickly looked at the next person.

The red headed Karin. She was staring down someone down, and because he was in her direct view, he assumed she was mad at him. He quickly shuffled away from her view, and she never once moved her head. Naruto, feeling a lot calmer now, looked behind him and noticed she was staring at the two people standing behind everyone. Naruto raised an eyebrow and tried figuring out which one was receiving her death gaze.

The unknown ANBU member changed her standing position. Naruto quickly looked back at Karin and noticed she was getting even more furious. Naruto had gotten the impression that Karin must know her. He wanted to ask her who she was, but he knew the female ANBU member wouldn't tell him, nor would Karin.

So Naruto shrugged it off and looked back at the Hokage. She wasn't looking at Sasuke anymore. Instead, she was sitting down on the desk, with her eyes closed. She had her head in her palms and it looked like she was trying to calm herself down. Now should be a good time to talk.

"Hey Granny! Where's Sakura?!" Naruto shouted loudly, running up to her desk and slamming his hands down. Sasuke gave him an annoyed look. He wasn't the least bit surprised in Naruto's one-tracked mind.

Tsunade quickly looked up, eyeing him suspiciously. "Naruto, calm down," she said, putting her hands lightly onto the desk.

"Will everyone just stop saying that to me?! I wanna know where Sakura is! I need to talk to her!" Naruto yelled, moving closer to Tsunade.

"Naruto. Not that it's any of your business, but she's out on a mission right now," Tsunade replied, not blinking.

Naruto shook his head in disbelief. None of his business?! What is she talking about? Of course it's his business! They were a team! They still are! "What do you mean none of my business?! She's my friend! I-" he stopped himself, trying to calm down.

"That doesn't matter right now. What matters is you've returned after a year. And you finally brought Sasuke back. What the hell took you so long?!" she demanded, standing up with full force, accidently knocking her chair over. Shizune rushed over to her side, and quickly picked up the chair.

Naruto glared at her, not liking the way this conversation was going. He didn't care about Sasuke at the moment. All he wanted to do was talk to Sakura. Why was everyone being so difficult? She needed him, but nobody would even listen!

"I don't care!" Naruto said, closing his eyes and backing away from the desk. "I don't... care," he said calmly. He could feel everyone's eyes upon him. But he didn't react.

Sasuke watched him slowly move back towards the desk. What was Naruto's problem? One minute he's yelling at everyone, the next minute he's calm. Besides, it's not like Sasuke wanted to be stuck in the room with the Hokage. He wanted to leave the room just as badly as Naruto, although he had different reasons as of why. He just wanted to be alone. He needed time to gather all of his thoughts.

After an awkward pause, Naruto looked at Sasuke and Sasuke looked away. "I understand that it took me so long to find him. It's not like he wanted to be found," Naruto said, looking back at Tsunade.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, and sat back down on the seat that Shizune was still holding. Shizune looked at Tsunade and back at Naruto, unsure of what to do. "Go on," Tsunade said.

"I know you want to yell at me. I know you want to yell at Sasuke, too. But can't that wait? I just found out about Sakura... I... need to talk to her. She needs me," he pleaded. His eyes were scanning hers, waiting for her to reply in his favor.

Tsunade broke their eye contact and sighed. After a short pause, she looked back up at Naruto, with an unreadable expression. "I told you. She's out."

"But.. When will she be back?" Naruto's voice cracked. He looked down, trying to take everything in. He finally returned after a year. He promised Sakura he'd bring Sasuke back. And he did. He's told she's changed. He finally sees her, only to get kicked in the stomach by her. He tries to talk to her, but everyone stops him. He's told she's lost her parents and still, nobody will help him. Everyone's stopping him from talking to her. Now he can't even see her because the Hokage sent her away on a mission. Why was this happening to him?

"I don't know," Tsunade replied, noticing Naruto's calm stature.

Naruto was about to say something, if it wasn't for somebody laughing. "What's so funny?" he growled, looking around the room. Tsunade and Shizune weren't laughing, and they had no reason to be. He knew the ANBU girl wouldn't be laughing because they're supposed to stay emotionless. The only girl left in the room was that red headed one standing next to Sasuke. He looked at her, and sure enough, she was the one laughing.

"And you call her your friend!" she said between giggles. Naruto balled up his fists and lost his cool, he went to punch her, but Sasuke grabbed his fist and forced him down to the floor.

"Sasuke! What do you think you're doing?!" Naruto muttered, looking down at his feet.

"Let her talk," Sasuke replied cooly. He let go of Naruto's fist, and stepped away from Karin. Naruto stood up and glared at Sasuke at first and then at Karin.

Why would she be laughing? There's nothing funny going on. Naruto started to growl quietly before he asked, "What's your problem?"

Karin looked at him and grinned. Although still laughing, she was able to calm her laughter down a bit so she could say clearly, "How can you say you're her friend, when you didn't even notice she was in the room?" Naruto gave her a confused look which made Karin laugh even harder.

'_What is she talking about? Sakura isn't here! Old Granny just said she's away on a mission,' _Naruto thought to himself.

Sasuke gave Karin a quick confused look before he reclaimed his bored facade. If Sakura was in the room, he'd know it right away.

"What are you talking about? Sakura's not here.. She's busy..." Naruto whispered.

Karin immediately stopped laughing and raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? What kind of ninja are you? That pink haired girl has been in this room longer than you have!" Karin sneered, getting extremely annoyed and frustrated.

Naruto opened his mouth and closed it right away. What was she talking about? The only people who have been in the room longer than he has was the Hokage, Shizune, and... the two people located in the back of the room.

Naruto's eyes brightened and he stared at Karin. Karin pointed past Naruto and he nodded. "Duh!" she sneered, grabbing onto Sasuke's arm. She looked up at him brightly but he wasn't even acknowledging her presence. He was just staring out at nothing in particular. She tried rubbing up against his arm, but Sasuke pushed her away. She looked back up at him and she noticed that he was now staring blankly at the now-known Sakura. He didn't show any emotion but the fact that he wasn't glaring at her gave Karin proof enough. She absolutely despised the pink haired girl.

Naruto turned and stared at the bunny masked Sakura. He couldn't believe that he didn't notice her. Before she left, Kakashi was talking to her. He knew Kakashi was one of the masked people. Why didn't he think Sakura was the other?

"S-Sakura?" Naruto asked. Neither one of the two moved. They kept their lazy composure, waiting for the Hokage to tell them their orders. Naruto looked back at Tsunade who looked rather annoyed. He turned back around and walked toward Sakura.

"Sakura.. Please.. Talk to me..." he said quietly, whilst moving closer and closer to her. Of course he forgot that when their mask was on, they were a totally different person.

Naruto extended his arm and tried reaching out for her. Kakashi noticed and quickly looked down at Sakura. She kept her head facing Tsunade. Not once did she move to face Kakashi nor did she turn to face Naruto. When Naruto reached for her, she was surprised that instead of grabbing her hand, he reached for her mask. In the last second, she pulled away, but it was too late. He already had a hold of it.

With her pulling away, and Naruto pulling the mask toward him, it ended up coming off. Naruto, in awe, let the mask slip out of his grip and it fell to the floor. Naruto looked down and looked back up at Sakura, only to see a fist an inch away from his face. Naruto went flying into the desk, and if it wasn't for Tsunade, the desk would've been knocked over. She was keeping a firm grip onto her desk, knowing full well that that would probably happen.

Karin and Suigetsu started to laugh at Naruto's misfortune. Jugo, although not laughing, was amused by the scene he saw in front of him. Sasuke, on the other hand, didn't feel the same. Instead of feeling happy that Naruto had gotten punched, he felt mad. He was mad at himself for not recognizing Sakura's chakra. He must've been more tired than he thought, but being tired has never meant he'd be lacking in the knowledge department.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and looked up at Sakura. Her pink hair was messy from the mask. It was sticking up in every direction, just like Jiraiya's**. **His blue eyes met with her green eyes but neither looked away. Her eyes still remained cold and emotionless. She didn't look angry but because she punched him, Naruto knew she was a little peeved.

Sakura turned her gaze onto her mask. She was a member of ANBU, and her cover has just been blown. It wasn't her fault but at the same time it was. She was waiting for Tsunade to start yelling at her, but when she looked up, Tsunade was looking down at Naruto, with anger fueled eyes.

Sakura closed her emerald eyes for a second and then bent down to pick up her mask. She put it back in place and she and Kakashi both bowed down.

"I'm sorry, Lady Tsunade," Sakura said, returning to normal height. Kakashi put his arm on her shoulder as they left the room. Naruto gave them a questioning look and then looked back at Tsunade.

"What's going on?! Why did Sakura punch me and then leave?!" Naruto said, looking at Tsunade and then at Shizune.

"What do you think? You idiot! You don't blow people's covers!" Tsunade yelled, standing back up. Shizune closed her eyes and stepped away from the two.

"What's so wrong about knowing who your friends are?" Naruto snorted back. Tsunade opened her mouth in shock. Did he really just say that? She pointed her fingers at Sasuke's team and gave Naruto a dirty look.

"You just blew her cover! Now they know who she is!" she said, foaming at the mouth.

"So what?!" Naruto shot back.

"Naruto Uzumaki! How can you say that? You know fully well that an ANBU's identity must stay hidden, especially among rival countries!" she shouted, slamming her hands down on her desk again.

"L-Lady Tsunade, if you keep this up, your desk is going to be destroyed..." Shizune said quietly. Tsunade turned around and Shizune quickly dropped her gaze.

"What rival countries?!" Naruto shouted, pointing at Tsunade. Tsunade walked around the desk and roughly picked Naruto up by the collar.

"You just brought back a missing nin and his companions! That makes them rivals! And now they know the identity of one of our ANBU members! They could use that information against us! Don't you ever use your head?!" she screeched. She pulled him closer to her, before she threw him to the ground.

"Hey! It's not like I meant to do that! Ever since I've returned home, everyone's been telling me to not talk to Sakura! Why? We're teammates! I just want to talk! But every time I get close to her... this happens!" he said, looking down at Tsunade's feet.

Tsunade sighed and helped Naruto up. She took a quick glance at Sasuke's team and sighed again. She walked back to her desk and sat down. "Naruto... we're keeping you away from Sakura, for your own good. She's not the same person you once knew. Ever since her parents were killed-"

"Were killed?! But... nobody said that! They just said they died..." Naruto interrupted.

"Well now you know. Yes, they were killed. We didn't catch them, but Sakura is determined to find out who did it and why. Because she's filled with anger, she doesn't smile anymore. She doesn't joke nor laugh. I can barely get her to look at me, but when she does, you can tell something's missing," she finished. She looked down and started rubbing her temples. Talking to Naruto always gave her great headaches.

Naruto stared at her for a couple of minutes before he turned to leave. He needed to get away. He decided he'd talk to Sakura once he knew what he was going to say.

Sasuke stared at Naruto. How was it that Naruto was only mad because he couldn't talk to the pinkette? Shouldn't he be mad at himself for not realizing she was in the room? Why did it bother Sasuke so much? He removed his gaze, and stared outside. The sun was still going down. He just wanted this day to end.

Tsunade was going to stop Naruto, but decided against it. The sooner he'd leave, the sooner her headache would leave. She watched him slowly open the door and with one quick glance at everyone in the room, he closed his eyes and shut the door behind him.

* * *

**I promise this: Next chapter will be filled with some Sasukeness! Chyea!! ^^**


	4. Chapter 4

**As promised, here's some Sasukeness! **

**Anywho!! Here's chapter four! ^^**

After Naruto left the room, the Hokage ordered Shizune to retrieve Kakashi and Sakura. Sasuke was getting fully annoyed of everyone in the room. He had just arrived in the village more than three hours ago, he was injured, and yet he was still being forced to talk to the Hokage. Seeing as she wasn't busy, he figured she would tell him off, but no. She just sat behind her desk, head in her palms, sighing from time to time.

Karin would constantly try to get Sasuke's attention, adding more annoyance for him. Didn't she get it? He was only using her for her ability. He didn't give a damn about her. He never would. But still, she never gave up. If he were to even glance at another female, Karin would feel threatened, and then go mad in a frenzy.

Sasuke never really understood what was wrong with the opposite gender. Most, if not all, females would swoon over him. For no apparent reason. All he would have to do is enter a room, and bam! Women of all shapes, sizes, and ages would try and get with him. He never gave any of them a chance, of course. He never cared for dating. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean he wasn't attracted to any of them. Of course he was! You'd have to be down right crazy to not even be tempted. Sasuke would never admit to being tempted though. He was an avenger. He had more important things on his mind.

But then again, Sasuke never really understood his own gender. When males saw him, they automatically wanted to fight. Most times, he welcomed the challenge. Especially if they were stronger than him. He loved defeating stronger opponents. If they were weaker than him, he would smirk at them and walk away. Why should he waste his time on someone who wouldn't even help him with his goal?

And that's when Sasuke realized the most important thing. Most females were useless to him, and males provided competition. That's why he mostly surrounded himself with other males. He was always trying to outdo them. Not so he would get any attention. But so he would get stronger. No matter what, he was never where he wanted to be. He had to get stronger. There was no other way for him. Strength. Avenge. Defeat. Win. That's all Sasuke ever cared about.

But all in all, he preferred to be alone. Nobody would be there trying to get into his pants. Nobody would be there to try and rip his head off. Being alone meant totally tranquility for him.

That's why he was grateful that Tsunade had decided to have Karin help Shizune find Kakashi and Sakura. That would be one less annoyance for him. But of course, that didn't really matter. Just being stuck in the Hokage's presence was annoying enough. Granted, she still wasn't doing anything, but still. There was something about her that just rubbed Sasuke the wrong way. She was way too annoying. Just like every single female Sasuke has ever encountered.

Eventually, Tsunade lost her cool, and told everyone except Sasuke to leave the room. Jugo and Suigetsu raised an eyebrow at Sasuke, but Sasuke didn't react. What could he do? It's not like he cared at all. He just wanted to leave and get some rest. That's all he needed. Besides, he didn't like standing around with his shirt being ripped to shreds. Nor was he fond of the dried blood on his arms. Shouldn't someone be trying to heal him? Not that he needed it, but still.

A couple of moments after Jugo and Suigetsu left the room, Kakashi and Sakura came walking in. They were still wearing their Anbu uniforms, so Sasuke assumed they were going to be sent away on a mission. How lovely for them. Sasuke turned his gaze back at Tsunade. She was standing up, calmly, and was smiling at the two ninjas. She had told them they would be leaving escorting somebody back to the Village hidden in the Sand.

Like Sasuke cared. Earlier that day, which was only a few hours ago, when he first saw his former sensei, he had balled up his fists, wanting to punch him in the face. Just seeing Kakashi made Sasuke almost lose his senses. He never cared much for his sensei, but in the end, he started to hate him. Severely hate him.

Sakura, on the other hand, he felt indifferent towards. Yeah, she had gotten a lot stronger. So what? Everyone has gotten stronger. So she was dressing more revealing. Maybe she was finally over Sasuke? Maybe she realized that the only way she would be able to get someone was to try to show off her body? It's not like hers was any different from any other female ninja's body, though. She was muscular, but not overly so. She had breasts, but all females did.

But then again, not all female ninjas, or kunoichis, had mesmerizing emerald eyes. When Sasuke was younger, he often found them somewhat appealing. But now, they weren't as.... magical, one would say. They were empty, but still fierce, in their own way. But this is Sasuke after all. He didn't care one way or another. Nope. Didn't care one bit.

After a few more minutes, Tsunade had finally realized Sasuke was still in the room. She yelled at him, but having no true reason to yell, she had told him to leave the room, immediately.

Now, he was walking down a rather dull and empty street. It was rounding 10 o'clock, and many people were already in their homes. Sasuke contemplated on going to a hospital, but realized there was no point. He wasn't injured badly. He just needed a good night's rest. He figured he would be able to go back to his old home. It's not like anyone, other than an Uchiha, would be living there.

Upon turning a corner, he finally realized he was being followed. He figured it was Naruto, or Karin, so he kept walking. He wouldn't put it past Karin to stalk him. Naruto was probably just waiting on the opportune time to jump out and start yelling at him. After a few minutes and turning a few more corners, Sasuke quickly realized it wasn't either of the two. Their chakra signatures were totally different. Why didn't he notice that before? Maybe he needed sleep a lot more than he would've previously thought.

He turned his head to try and spot the followers. Of course! He should've known. There they were, two Anbu black ops, standing there, on the roof of a house. Not trying to hide or anything. Sasuke turned his head sharply away.

'_I should've known that woman would send people to keep an eye on me,_' Sasuke thought, walking towards his home again. How could he have thought otherwise? Tsunade had no reason to trust him. He cursed at himself for being so careless.

As he turned another corner, he nearly bumped into somebody. Yet again, how could he be so careless? Just what was wrong with him? He glared at the person, not even saying sorry. He didn't care if it was his fault or not, but just his luck. The person he was glaring at was smiling back at him. It just had to be Naruto, didn't it?

"Hey Sasuke! I noticed that Granny kept you in her office for a while!" Naruto said cheerfully, rubbing the back of his head. "So I figured you must be hungry! I went to your house, but I guess you weren't there!" he said, grinning.

'_No duh you idiot..'_ Sasuke glared at Naruto even more. Just why wouldn't he leave him alone? He hasn't even here for half a day and yet he was already feeling suffocated by Naruto's constant need to be around.

"So let's go get something to eat!" Naruto finished. He gave Sasuke a thumbs up and waited for his answer. He was sure Sasuke would disagree, but it didn't matter. Either way, Naruto was going to get Sasuke to eat with him.

Sasuke glared at Naruto a while longer before he eventually gave in. He needed to gain Tsunade's trust. Otherwise... things would be bad. He assumed if he was nice to Naruto, the Anbu would report back, and eventually, they would accept Sasuke, and deem him trustworthy. Hopefully.

By the time Sasuke had finished his first bowl, Naruto was already done with his third. Sasuke eyed Naruto up and down. Why was he so obsessed with ramen? It was all right, but definitely not the greatest.

Sasuke looked back at his bowl, to see it replaced by a new bowl. He looked up and saw a woman smiling at him. She pointed to somebody sitting farther away and Sasuke glanced over. Of course. A group of females were all giggling and smiling and when Sasuke turned his gaze on them, they all turned red and looked quickly away. What's the matter with females? So, his torn up shirt revealed his muscular stomach and back, but he had dried blood all over him. How did they not care?

Besides, didn't they understand? He's killed people before. Nothing really stopped him from killing them. Nothing at all, except Sasuke's restraint.

He looked back at his bowl, and pushed it towards a very happy Naruto. Naruto finished his fifth bowl, and started on Sasuke's. The whole time he was chattering away about the 'old times'. Naruto seemed to be particularly fond of the time period when they were first assigned to the same group. It was odd. Naruto had hated the fact that he was partnered up with Sasuke, and yet thinking back, he remembers being happy. Maybe he was lying to himself?

Naturally, Naruto started talking about their competitions. He talked about the bell test, and how he wanted to get the bell before Sasuke. Then he talked about how hard it was for him to master his chakra control, and that he still has a hard time with it.

Sasuke couldn't help but try and think back to that time. Kakashi had shown them how to do it and right away the only person to actually do it correctly was Sakura. She had always been good at things like that, not that it mattered back then. Sasuke had to constantly save her from everyone. She couldn't fend for herself, no matter how hard she tried. But that was years ago. She's changed. So has he. If she was in trouble, he'd just let her get hurt. They're not teammates anymore, so it didn't affect him. Right?

Sasuke glanced back at Naruto, and then he realized what Naruto was trying to do. Naruto was trying his best to forget about Sakura for the time being. Talking about the past definitely wasn't going to help. Nothing was. Naruto looked at Sasuke and smiled again. It was easy to see he was faking it. He wasn't fooling anyone, including himself.

"Sasuke..." Naruto said quietly, abandoning his facade. He looked down at the empty bowls in front of him. "What are we going to do about Sakura?"

"We?" Sasuke questioned. He didn't want to have anything to do with the pinkette. Nor did he want to have anything to do with Naruto. But for the time being, he had to.

"Come on, Sasuke! You know we have to do something! Sakura had always been there for us... now it's our turn!" Naruto said, looking up at Sasuke with a determined look.

Just what is everyone's deal? How many times has Sasuke threatened to kill Naruto? How many times has he actually tried to kill Naruto? And Sakura? Why was Naruto so forgiving and so welcoming? There's something messed up with this kid.

Sasuke looked down at his hands. What should he say? He wanted to tell Naruto off, but he knew that the Anbu would just report back to Tsunade right away and then he'd be forced to leave the Village. After a minute's pause, he shrugged. That should be good enough for Naruto.

"Yeah.." Naruto murmured. He looked back down at the empty bowls. There wasn't much they could do. Not yet at least.

After a long awkward pause, Sasuke decided it was time for him to leave. It was almost 10:30, and most places were starting to close. He stood up but the moment he was standing, he felt a pair of arms wrapping themselves around his torso.

"Sasuke!" the owner of the arm's shouted. Sasuke closed his eyes. It was Karin. Why did she have to be here? Why did he have to be here? And just when would this night end?

Naruto eyed Sasuke suspiciously. He was used to Sasuke getting constant attention from the females, but none of them have actually touched him like that. Naruto was sure he'd seen Sakura hug Sasuke, but that was just a hug. Only a hug. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Sasuke freed himself from Karin's hold, and sat back down. He guessed he wouldn't be going anywhere now that she was there. Karin sat down next to Sasuke and smiled widely.

'_Finally!'_ she thought happily to herself, _'finally I get to go on a real date with Sasuke! Too bad that annoying boy is with us... but I guess that doesn't matter.'_

Karin wrapped her arm around Sasuke's. She was in seven heaven. She finally had Sasuke all to herself, and Suigetsu wasn't even there to annoy her! After a couple of seconds, Sasuke got out of her hold, again. She assumed he wasn't big on public displays of affection, so she tried to keep her hands to herself. Of course it was hard, but she had to please him. No matter what.

Naruto noticed her constant advances and Sasuke's constant refusals. He started to grin stupidly to himself, until Sasuke noticed. He raised an eyebrow, but kept his emotionless stare. Sasuke didn't care about what Naruto was going to say. He just wanted to find a way out of there.

"I've just never seen someone so desperate to be with another person, that's all," Naruto tried saying casually but his voice cracked, giving him away. It was strange that Naruto didn't notice the irony in his statement. He was talking about Karin, but if someone was listening in, they would assume he was talking about himself, or about Sakura.

Karin glared at Naruto and stood up fast. She balled up her fists, getting ready for a fight but Sasuke merely put his hand on hers, and she automatically cooled down.

Even though Sasuke didn't think highly of his old team, at all, it didn't make him think highly of his new team. Yeah, they were useful, but they were a major pain to deal with. Especially Karin. She, if possible, was even more annoying than Sakura. Karin was gifted, but sometimes Sasuke wondered if she was really worth all of the drama. He had never had to deal with someone like her before. At least Sakura left him alone. Sometimes.

Karin wrapped her arms back around Sasuke's, but again, Sasuke pushed her away. Naruto started to laugh and again, Karin stood up. Before she was able to do anything though, two people entered Ichiraku's**, **ultimately winning everyone's attention.

Sasuke turned to face them. There, standing side by side, was Kiba Inuzuka and Hinata Hyuga**.** Hinata's hair was even longer, and it actually looked really good on her. Kiba's hair, on the other hand, was a big ole mess. It fit him perfectly.

The two looked around the place until their eyes landed upon the Uchiha. They walked toward him, and Karin sat back down. She didn't know who the girl was, but she didn't feel threatened at all. She noticed the girl kept taking quick glances at the loud mouth Naruto, so clearly she was interested in her man.

"Sasuke," Kiba said, nodding his head in a hello. Sasuke replied in the same fashion. Hinata didn't make a move at all. She didn't want to be rude but at the same time, she felt uncomfortable being around him.

'_Good... finally someone gets it,'_ Sasuke thought, noticing Hinata's constant fidgeting. It was normal for her, but because she didn't even say hello to Naruto, Sasuke knew it was all his fault.

"What do you two want?" Naruto rudely asked. He was just about to fight Karin before they interrupted, so he wanted to make sure they had a good enough reason.

"This has nothing to do with you," Kiba said, throwing Naruto a dirty look. He looked back at Sasuke and then at Karin. "The Hokage wants you two, and the other members of your group to be in her office at noon tomorrow."

"Why?" Karin snapped. She didn't like being bossed around. Unless Sasuke was the one telling her what to do, that is. Sasuke looked at her, and she automatically calmed down again. She knew the answer to the question but she still felt like voicing her... opinions, in her own unique way.

"Can't it wait? Sasuke and I are gonna go see Sakura tomorrow morning!" Naruto said, standing up next to Hinata. Hinata started to blush at his sudden closeness, and she moved closer to Kiba, trying to calm herself down.

Sasuke gave Naruto a dirty look. Since when did he agree to anything? He didn't! He never said he'd even talk to her.

"Sakura's not here, Naruto. She was sent out on a mission," Kiba said, giving Naruto another dirty look.

"No she isn't!" Naruto said, pointing a finger at Kiba. He was so tired of people telling him lies.

"Kiba's telling the truth," Sasuke said, trying to calm the blond kid down. He couldn't believe that he was unable to defeat him in battle. How was that possible? Naruto would constantly argue with people and he was constantly wrong. It just didn't make any sense.

"Yeah? How do you know?!" Naruto shouted, turning his gaze onto Sasuke

"Because I was in the room," Sasuke stated calmly. He stood up and walked to the entrance of Ichiraku's. "I'm going now. There's no point in me staying. Karin, tell Jugo and Suigetsu about the meeting," he said as he left the room.

"Are you sure Sakura left?" Naruto asked, trying not to believe Sasuke. Sasuke didn't have any reason to lie to him, but you could never be too sure.

"N-Naruto. Kiba isn't lying. S-Sakura really d-did leave," Hinata replied quietly. Naruto looked at her, finally realizing she was in the room.

"Oh hey Hinata. I didn't see you there!" Naruto said, smiling, forgetting about the conversation he was just having.

"N-Naruto..." Hinata murmured, looking down, feeling disappointed.

"Are you slow or what? She's been here the whole time!" Karin said, giving Naruto a strange look.

"Hey!" he yelled, facing her. "At least I'm not constantly being turned down!"

And with that, Karin moved over to him, gave him a hard smack, and left.


	5. Chapter 5

**So so sorry that it's taken me so long! It's summer.. So... yea! Haha**

**like seriously... I've retyped this chapter at least a dozen times before I finally settled on this version... the others were totally terrible!**

**I decided, imma try to make the chapters longer. Not to sure on how it'll work out or if it'll even work out, cuz time-wise, it's not looking too good. But I'll try my best! =]**

Much to Sasuke's dismay, his day started bright and early. Karin was on his doorstep at seven a.m.. Jugo and Suigetsu both arrived a half an hour later. None of them were invited into Sasuke's house, but that didn't stop Suigetsu and Karin from trying.

Suigetsu kept complaining loudly about how 'cold' it was, and how 'windy' it was. Of course Sasuke didn't care. Besides, Suigetsu was lying. It was a bright, warm, crisp morning with a light breeze blowing the leaves on the trees.

Karin kept inching closer to Sasuke's open door, but he would always see her, but she was ruthless. She would start to creep toward the window, but again, Sasuke caught her. Each time Sasuke turned his head, she'd run toward the door, only to have Sasuke standing in the door way, glaring, with his arms crossed.

Sasuke, finally fed up with them, decided to let them in. What did it really matter to him anyway? While they were running around his house, looking into each room, Sasuke started walking away. He wanted just a little more time to himself. He didn't arrive home until midnight the previous night, but he wasn't able to fall asleep until much later.

He was busy cleaning up around his house, seeing as he hadn't been there in years. Dust was covering everything. Once he walked into the living room, it was hard for him to decipher what was a couch, and what was just a huge pile of dust. After cleaning everything up, he had to fix the broken windows, replace the broken faucets and throw out everything that was in bad shape.

The last time he looked at the clock, it was close to four a.m.. Just great. He had spent four hours cleaning everything, and he knew he wouldn't be getting much sleep. He shook his head, and he decided that one hour of sleep was better than zero hours.

The rather tired Uchiha was able to walk halfway down a nearby street before his teammates even noticed that he was missing. He stopped in his tracks and waited for them to find him. It wouldn't take long, and he knew that there was no use in trying to run. They'd just find him eventually and besides, they all had to meet at the same place in a couple of hours.

The morning went by fairly fast. Once Sasuke was caught, they all went out to explore the city. Around 11 o'clock, they ate lunch, and around 11:30, they were off to the Hokage's.

On the way there, Sasuke was well aware of the constant stares he was receiving from the villagers. He wasn't surprised by that fact at all. He had grown accustomed to it, after all. He lightly sighed at all of the attention and tried to ignore everyone.

His red headed companion was constantly cuddling up to him, only to be roughly pushed away. She'd pout for a couple of seconds, but then attempt to get close to him again.

Sasuke sometimes wondered what his life would've been like, had he met her sooner. What Sakura would've said to Karin's advances. How Naruto would've reacted to Sasuke getting even more attention. Then again, he didn't care. The only person who ever mattered to him was his brother. His goal was to kill him, and of course he had succeeded in meeting his goal. Now, he was a man all alone. Just how he always wanted to be.

Sasuke slowly shook his head from those thoughts. He had to concentrate on what was going on. They were about to enter the Hokage's doors, and he was well aware of what was to come. Tsunade would yell at him, say she didn't trust him, possibly throw things, and then send them away. It was pathetic that he could tell what she'd do just from their previous meeting. Very pathetic.

Sasuke and his crew braced themselves as they gingerly walked into the sunny room. Lady Tsunade had papers surrounding her, as she feverishly signed them all, without reading a single one. A long with the papers, there was a large cup that had the odor of sake. She had bags under her eyes but everyone was well aware not to make a comment about that. Shizune looked worried, but then again, when didn't she?

The Hokage looked up at the sound of the opening doors, registered who was entering, and went back to signing the papers. They were early, and she had to get everything done before anyone could make a complaint. Shizune wasn't helping her with her constant peering over her shoulder and making quiet remarks.

Lady Tsunade took a quick, deep breath and raised her head from the papers. She gave the four visitors a stern look, which told them they were all on very shady ground. She glanced at Sasuke and the two had a stare down. Sasuke won.

"Listen here," the Hokage slurred out a little, "point blank, I don't trust you. How could Naruto bring you back here so easily? He may be strong, but I doubt he's that strong," she finished, looking from one to the other. Sasuke kept his face stoic; Suigetsu grinned a little causing a little unease for Tsunade; Karin was giving her dirty looks; Jugo looked just like Sasuke. Tsunade shook her head in rage and stood up abruptly, causing papers to fly everywhere. "What are you doing here? Why did you come back?"

Sasuke kept his cold eyes on her warm ones. Why should he answer any of her questions truthfully if he was never even told the truth? His jaw clenched a bit in anger and in annoyance but still, he refused to answer her question. He refused to be the weak one.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes and moved around the desk. She hated being ignored. Sasuke was almost more of a pain in the ass than Naruto. At least with Naruto, you knew exactly what was on his mind. Sasuke just looked empty, and not in a good way. "Takao," she suddenly called, adding confusion into the room.

Within a millisecond, a middle-aged man with scars on his face and arms appeared in the open windowsill. He had dark chocolate eyes and his light brown hair was up in spikes. He was dressed as a jonin but it looked odd on him because of his odd build. He was very scrawny and he looked extremely weak. His chocolate eyes looked around the room violently, looking for a destination until finally resting them gingerly upon Sasuke. The way he looked at Sasuke made Karin's skin crawl. There was just something complete wrong with this guy but it was impossible to tell what it was.

Lady Tsunade pointed a delicate finger at the younger Uchiha. The man named Takao nodded in response and moved about the room and stopped in front of him. The scarred man was a good foot taller than Sasuke. Sasuke glared at the man, not trusting him with an inch of his life, and he was correct in doing so.

Takao gave Sasuke a toothy grin, and before Sasuke could register what was going on, the man shoved a glowing hand into Sasuke's muscular stomach. Sasuke fell down to his knees as Karin gave out a loud shriek.

Sasuke could feel his chakra slowly gathering into his abdomen. Tsunade gleefully grinned to herself before she answered Sasuke's unasked question. "Takao is using his family's special jutsu. The 'Chakra Sealing Jutsu', or more popularly known as the 'Chakra Stealing Five Prong Jutsu'. Takao gathers up his little chakra and forces it all into his fingertips, than immediately forces his fingers into his victim, sucking out their chakra. The person then will have no chakra for anywhere from a day to a couple of weeks, depending on how much he steals."

Karin roughly blinked at Tsunade and turned her head back at Sasuke. She stared at Takao's man and sure enough, she could see Sasuke's chakra levels diminishing. Takao was sucking all of Sasuke's chakra! So he wasn't weak after all!

After a few seconds, Tsunade decided enough was enough and told Takao to stop. Sasuke shakily got to his feet, after refusing help from a very worried Karin. His onyx eyes bore right into Tsunade's, but she didn't once falter.

"I can force him to take all of your chakra away, but I have some use for you," she slyly said. Sasuke arched an eyebrow but Tsunade didn't continue. "Tell me. Why are you here?" she demanded after a short pause.

Sasuke scoffed at her, before complying. "I met Madara Uchiha," he plainly stated. Tsunade gave him a confused look but instead of interrupting, she allowed him to go on. Sasuke crossed his arm and gave her a bored look. "I didn't trust him so I told them," indicating his new team, "to follow me, away from Madara," he finished, looking away. He refused to say anything more on the subject.

"What did he try to do?" Tsunade asked, leaning back on her desk, flattening some of the papers down. Not even looking at her, Sasuke shrugged off her answer. Tsunade bit down on her lip hard, but tried to get rid of her anger. "What did he tell you?" she simply asked, hoping Sasuke would tell the truth.

Sasuke, not wanting to answer, started leaning on his left leg, acting bored. She was determined to wait until he answered that question. It was imperative that she knew what Sasuke knew. Eventually, Sasuke gave in, but not wholeheartedly. "He told me nothing important. I'm well aware that he wants to use me as his puppet."

Tsunade looked at him, trying to decipher the hidden meaning within his words, but declared it impossible. Trying to move on, she decided to ask one last question. "Sasuke Uchiha... do you know where his whereabout is?" she asked, glancing at Sasuke's companions.

They were all staring at Sasuke's back, awaiting for his answer. Sasuke shook his head no, and it was the truth. He had no clue where Madara was, and he didn't care to be honest. Madara Uchiha was no Uchiha in Sasuke's mind. All of the Uchiha's, aside from him, were dead.

Tsunade lightly growled at her frustrations with the Uchiha. There was no way that he was telling the truth. "Uchiha, there's no way I can trust you. Until you and your team proves their loyalty to this Village, the ANBU will not be leaving your sides anytime soon, you understand?" She moved to the other side of her desk and slammed her hands down on the desk. "If you even put one small hair out of place, I will have to take care of you, myself," she threatened the young Uchiha before sitting down.

Sasuke stared at her with blank eyes for a moment before nodding his head. Gaining her trust was the only way he'd be able to be alone. The only way he'd be able to move on with his life.

After agreeing with the Hokage, they were shoved out of the room quickly, so Tsunade could get back to signing documents. Before leaving though, Sasuke had one last look at Takao, who just stared back with a smile that would scare the pants off of little kids.

After that eventful afternoon, Sasuke's group dragged him to go sight seeing. More accurately, it was all Karin's idea to go sight seeing, claiming Konoha was their new home and it's important for them to know everything about their new home. Sasuke was somewhat interested to see what might've changed since the last time he was there.

They trudged up and down almost every street, stopping constantly to look at things. Sasuke was growing increasingly bored with each passing second. Nothing changed. Everything was exactly where it used to be. All of the people were doing exactly what he remembered them doing. Ino's mother was at the flower shop. Choji and his dad were eating. Everyone was smiling. Little kids were running around; mothers were singing to their babies; merchants were talking about their new items they've just received. Everyone and everything was peaceful. This greatly irritated the Uchiha.

Anger was slowly rising from the middle of his core. How was it possible that nobody had a problem? That everything was good in the world? It was as if he was the only one in Konoha that had a working brain.

As the raven haired teen was lost in his thoughts, Suigetsu started to walk away from the group. He could care less about what Karin wanted to look at, and more important, he could care less about Konoha. He turned around to see Sasuke looking at him. He just sighed, rubbed his head softly and then shrugged. Instead of saying anything, he waved goodbye to Sasuke, who glared at him for that action, and walked back to where he was staying. He'd rather be sleeping than have to deal with the red head another minute.

As Sasuke watched Suigetsu walking away, he neglected to recognize two oncoming chakras. Karin, being the envious girl that she is, immediately threw and latched herself onto Sasuke, refusing to let go. Sasuke quickly looked down at Karin and noticed she was looking away from him. He followed her eyes with his own and they landed on his two former teammates, Sakura and Naruto.

Sakura had her arms crossed and her eyes closed. She looked visibly annoyed but it was hard to tell what was going on with her internally. She was walking somewhat quickly, so it was easy to tell she was busy. Naruto, on the other hand, was shouting after her, waving his hands like mad for no true reason.

Sasuke forcefully shoved Karin away and turned around to face the two. Sakura opened up her eyes to see what was in front of her, but never once did she glance at the people staring at her. Never once did she turn around to look at Naruto.

'_What the hell is her problem anyway?'_ Sasuke angrily asked himself. He was already fed up with people and seeing his old teammates didn't make him feel any better. He didn't want to have anything to do with them anymore, and yet here they were, walking toward him.

Just as Sasuke got ready to deal with Sakura and Naruto, Sakura surprised him. A few feet in front of him, she closed her eyes again, tighten her grip on herself and hurriedly walked past Sasuke. She wasn't going to talk to him. But why did that surprise Sasuke? He was aware that her family was now dead. He noticed the way she stayed away from everyone and how she didn't talk to him the first time. Why did it also bother him that she's not talking to him. He, in a way, wanted Sakura to talk to him. Wanted her to be her usual fangirl self. But this wasn't the same Sakura. He doubted if she ever would be the same. But more important, what surprised the Uchiha the most was the fact that all of that mattered to him.

Getting angry with himself, he shook his head violently and looked away from the retreading Sakura. "Sakura!" he heard Naruto shout after her. Again, Naruto just didn't get the picture.

Instead of chasing after Sakura, who was stopped by a little child, Naruto stopped and stood next to the brooding Uchiha. Naruto wiped the sweat off of his forehead before he started talking. "Man, she really has changed! I've been chasing her all over the Village and she didn't once say anything!"

Sasuke glared at Naruto, making it painfully obvious that Sasuke could care less about what he thinks, what he feels, what he just did, but Naruto of course didn't get the hint. Naruto just went on and on about everything, trying to get his newly returned and reformed best friend to talk, but it was useless.

"Naruto...listen to me," Sasuke said, his voice dripping with venom, "Shut up."

Naruto, looking taken aback, just gawked at him. He tried to say something else but decided it would be better if he left Sasuke alone for the time being. He looked back at Sakura, to see she was leaving again. "Sakura!" he called again to her.

This time, instead of ignoring the blondie, Sakura turned around, eyes fueled with rage. She walked toward Naruto and Sasuke, arms at her sides, hands clenched together. She stopped in front of them, and took a deep breath, closing her eyes, trying to calm herself down. Dealing with Naruto was definitely something Sakura wanted to avoid. She never wanted to see him again. She never wanted to see Sasuke again, either. She had hoped that when the two fought, they'd both be dead in the end. She didn't get her wish.

"Sakura-" Naruto started to yell out at her, but Sakura cut him off.

"Don't you get it, Naruto?" she quietly said, avoiding their eyes. Karin glared at her, not liking the attention Sasuke was giving her, before she stomped off, grabbing Jugo with her. Nobody noticed their sudden disappearance, and it's not like it changed anything. Sasuke crossed his arms, clearly bored, and not wanting to be involved, but knowing Naruto, he wouldn't have been able to get away. "Leave me alone," Sakura told Naruto. She looked up, her eyes still showing rage but not as much as they previously were.

Naruto looked, like always, confused and unsure of how to respond. His questioning eyes tried to meet with Sasuke's onyx eyes, but Sasuke refused to look at either one of them. Just what was going on with his friends? Naruto promised Sakura he'd save Sasuke. He had kept his promise, but now Sakura didn't want to have anything to do with him. Sasuke wouldn't even look at him, let alone look at Sakura. He didn't know what to do. How was it possible that something he was striving for, for years and years, ended up worse than how it had been previously. Yeah, Sasuke was a pain in the ass, but that was all right with him. Sakura used to have that annoying crush on Sasuke, but that was something he was getting used to.

"Sakura, I-"

"No, Naruto! No talking. Why can't you understand this? I didn't say hello to you when you came back because I don't want to have anything to do with you. You should've learned that right off the bat. But that doesn't matter. You know now. Don't ever talk to me again," Sakura replied, her fists shaking. She glared at Naruto, not once wavering in her rage, when she violently threw herself the other way and started walking away from them again.

Naruto opened his mouth to say something but closed it instead. There was nothing left to say to her. If she wanted him to leave her alone, he would. But only for the time being. Give him an hour, and he'd be right back at it.

Sasuke slowly closed his eyes, getting a headache. His ex-teammates were even more annoying than ever. Sasuke decided it was time for him to get home. It was around three in the afternoon, but he was ready for some sleep. He needed it, but before he could accomplish his goal, Naruto decided it was time for them to bond. And down the street they walked, Naruto complaining about Sakura the whole time.

**so again, im sorry it took so long to update! Hopefully I'll be able to update a lot faster than that... like a lot a lot faster! ^^"**

**until then, have fun with what might be your remaining summer! Byes!**


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